5 people die in apartment fire in Missouri

Fire reported at 3:30 a.m.

Five people including a child are dead after a fire broke out at an apartment building in southwest Missouri.

Bob Lombard, chief of the Wheaton Fire Department, told The Associated Press that the fire was reported about 3:20 a.m. Thursday. He says fire crews arrived at the apartment within minutes of getting the call and found the victims in two separate units at the building.

Lombard says the victims' identities haven't been released and that the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Wheaton is located southwest of Springfield and has about 700 residents.

The Red Cross of Southern Missouri says it's providing 16 people with emergency lodging, food and clothing. It has opened five cases for financial assistance.